makemehappy says...

At best work in progress. England could easily have lost more games than they won, but deserve credit for playing well against Wales. They still look clueless for most of the time though.

You have to wonder why a captain's been picked who shouldn't be in the squad. I still remain far from convinced about Foden too.

Certainly not the most exciting team in the championship. Potential to move away from that image though.

Over to England to play an expansive game (the only way forward), and to see how they do against the southern hemisphere teams.

Posted 13:27 23rd March 2012

APV1 says...

@ lawynd - we used to live in Rutland, so they were the "local" team. I'm fairly sure she supports them only to upset me!!

@ rugbydinosaur - I do appreciate your point. I have a friend who's a professional footballist and we often argue the merits of our beloved sports. I watch him play and enjoy that, but I have to say, soccer just leaves me cold. But I also think that rugby has more going on, throughout the match, than soccer. I suppose if I wanted to intorduce an alien to the game, for flair and excitement, it'd have to be a 7s tournament. And then ease them into the 15-man game once they've got the rugby bug.

Posted 09:53 23rd March 2012

lawynd says...

@APV1 - sounds like your wife has more sense than you, and/or is less of a glutton for punishment. Or does she, like my girlfriend, have the hots for Castro!?

Posted 19:26 22nd March 2012

APV1 says...

@ lawynd - Hear! Hear!

@ rugbydinosaur - I have introduced friends to rugby and, more importantly, my wife (although she has chosen to support the Tigers - damn her!). Watching any sport with a true fan opens up the eyes of the spectator to the excitement, nuances and brilliance of the game. As an example, I never really enjoyed American Football / Gridiron, except as a specacle. Until I went to see a match with a player who could explain to me what the bloomin' heck was going on. I'm no convert, but I certainly enjoy it more now that I understand it (although having more than one team playing for the same side still seems daft to me - offence; defence; kicking; etc!).

I've said it before and I'll say it again:

Vive la difference!

Posted 17:47 22nd March 2012

kybone says...

J_Hdk What you forget is that the Scotland and Italy games were the first two games for a coach brand new to the team and brand new to rugby at this level. It was also the first 2 caps for about 8 players. In fact i don't think there was anyone with more than about 25 caps in the side. Im not naive enough to think that England are one of the best sides in the world again, but we're certainly heading the right way and the things about our game which weren't quite there during the 6N will come in time. Im looking forward to the likes of Lawes, Wood, Haskell, and maybe even Cipriani coming back into this squad. Im also looking forward to plenty of new players getting a chance between now and this time next year. The skies the limit in my opinion.

Posted 15:36 22nd March 2012

jose_jones says...

@J_Hdk

You have to admit,.. this team got better and better as the 6N wore on and as different combinations were tried out,... no they were not awsome in every match,.. but you can't say they were the same team against Ireland as they were against Scotland,.. I'm not even English,.. and I can see that somethng almost miraculous went on between game 1 and game 5,... Stuart Lancaster is a witch...!!!!

Posted 14:20 22nd March 2012

jamesliveinhope says...

@carpelone

I believe you make your own luck charging down is a skill, and Hodgson said that Saracens practice them regularly (Botha would have scored one against Wales but for a bounce) the intention is not necessarily to score a try but to force the kicker into an error.

Interceptions too are a skill and I perhaps should not have referred to both Italian trys as spawned BUT, England returned to the field with a level of control that they had not shown in the first half and I genuinely believe that the result was not in doubt once the Italian lead had been overhauled.

@APV1 I agree about the shoulda, woulda, coulda observation in a results oriented sport but I think England's management would be kidding themselves if they allowed the Scotland result to convince them that the performance would be good enough for other fixtures.

What is also encouraging is that three results were gained on the road and three in trashy conditions.

Posted 13:35 22nd March 2012

mayhem says...

as a welshman, it would be easy to hope England dont stick with Lancaster, employ some overpaid numpty and sink back into the quagmire. But they wont and will be all the better for it. Lancaster has overachieved on just about every level and deserves every plaudit for this emerging English side. They could be finally on to something special here and that bodes for some truly outstanding and competitive 6N to come. Well done England, look forward to an epic in Cardiff next year. The beer is waiting :)

Posted 12:38 22nd March 2012

melkdave says...

England have made a good start and have laid some pretty solid foundations to build on imo.As ive posted elsewhere the forthcomming tour of SA will be no pushover and id be very surprised if England get a series win (though i live in hope ).What im looking for is hopfully more improvment from the side and to push the bokkes like the welsh to their limits and maybe a test win .England will be a work in progress for at least 18 months imo so we shouldnt get carried away to much at victories or to despondent at defeats,and there will be defeats .We have alot of good young talant bursting on the scene and its going to take time to find a world beating combination for 2015 ..SL and GR will hofeully be allowed to continue moulding that world beating (hopefully) squad .This international experiance thing imo is hookum a rugby brain for tatics and being able to motavate players is what makes a team the rest follows naturally

Posted 12:34 22nd March 2012

APV1 says...

Not a lot to add to that - a pretty balanced piece. Thank you.

I will, as suspected, pick up on the "should 'a, would 'a, could 'a", however. Any team or player in any sport, in any match could use that. But we don't accept it, as it's nonsense. It's the numbers on the score board at the final whistle that go down in the history books, not the "should 'a, would 'a, could 'a". Although there are fellow-posters with very (too!) long memories, who love to drag up ancient history, it's rarely useful. Sometimes it is, to illustrate a point, but often it's just a poor loser spouting, rather than helpful information in a debate.

I agree that SL should be given the job. He's taken the EPS by the scruff of the neck and given it a shake. No nonsense, back-to-basics attitude.

RFU Core Values:

Teamwork. Respect. Enjoyment. Discipline. Sportsmanship.

SL has instilled all of these and backed up words with actions (Danny Care, as a case in point).

And, on a similar note, was this a pretty "clean" 6N championship? There were plenty of penalties, I appreciate, but they were, it seemed to me, more for technical infringements than foul play.

Editor - will you be doing the stats? If so, could you compare the Red and Yellow cards from this 6N to the last couple? Perhaps it's just my perception, but it seemed mostly good natured and sporting.

Bring on SA!

Posted 11:10 22nd March 2012